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There are few things I love more than fall clothes shopping. After months of traipsing around in tank tops, bikinis and denim shorts that inevitably get sweaty and faded from the sun, it’s always nice to turn to cooler weather clothing. There’s just so much to buy: jackets, raincoats, cozy sweaters, flannel shirts, cute sweats, boots… the list could go on and on. But the absolute worst part of fall shopping (for me at least)? Buying jeans.
I hate jean shopping. That’s not necessarily because I hate jeans. A good pair of denim can be an excellent staple in your wardrobe that you can re-wear a million times. They’re comfy, they’ve got the whole casual but chic thing going on, and you don’t have to shave your legs to wear them. All good things. But finding a pair that fits my 5’0 frame? I’ve decided that it’s pretty much impossible.
If you’re a shorty like me, you probably deal with this also. Jeans are constantly too long on me! The majority of jeans I try on are literally long enough to cover my feet and STILL have more leg room. Or, they almost fit, except not really, because all of the extra material just bunches up around my ankles and looks dumb.
I know what you’re probably thinking: well then buy petite sizes, Jessica. Um, I do. But I honestly don’t know who they’re making these petite sizes for, because even those are too long for me. Do denim companies realize that there are grown adults out there who are 5’0 and under and they like jeans also?
And when I do finally find a store that carries petite sizes that actually work for my height, I still can’t get lucky: most of the time these stores only have a few select styles and colors in petites, and only a handful of different number sizes. There’s barely any selection. I can walk past rows of fun, interesting jeans, and then only have about three to choose from that will actually fit me. I feel like I’m missing out on so many denim possibilities. It stinks.
I know that I can just buy regular jeans and get them hemmed, but do you have any idea how annoying that is? Not only do I have to spend $80 on brand new jeans, but then I have to go to a seamstress and pay even more money just so that they fit. It takes more time and effort and frankly, I’m either too busy/too lazy to do it.
This may sound like a super lame problem to every lucky girl out there who doesn’t have to struggle to find a good pair of jeans, but trust me… it’s not lame. It’s really annoying and frustrating. What’s wrong with making a few extra petite jeans? What’s wrong with making them actually petite? When I was in high school, the fact that I couldn’t find jeans that fit me really bummed me out. It made me feel bad about being short, like it was something that was totally abnormal and I didn’t deserve a good pair of denim unless I had long legs to fill it out. And I love being short, so I hated feeling that way.
The only comfort is knowing that I’m not alone. Every woman in my family is tiny like me, so we all have the same jeans problem, and the same goes for my best friends. Oh, and tall girls don’t always have it easy either. One day, when I was complaining about my jean problem to a co-worker, a super tall girl I worked with overheard. She said, “At least you can hem them. I’m so tall that jeans are too short on me, and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
So this is a plea to all denim companies out there: please start making more jeans for both short and tall girls, and start making our lives easier. Please!
Do you have this problem with jeans? Are you too short or too tall for most sizes? What do you hate the most about back to school shopping? Tell me in the comments!
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I’m little all around so I usually have to go to the kids sections to find jeans that fit me right.
Ugh, THANK YOU! Finally someone who understands!
I’m 5 feet tall also and I have the same problem. A good solution is to hem the pants yourself. It isn’t that hard, and once you learn it only takes about 10 minutes per leg. The only problem is that it doesnt work with skinney jeans unless you are extremely talented at sewing.
Honestly I think thats better than having them too short and look like you’re flooding all the time…aka me!
How about suggesting stores that sell real petite jeans?
I have the opposite problem. I am very small in the waist but really long in the legs. When I can find a pair of jeans that fit in the leg, they’re always wayyy to big in the waist. Not that I’m complaining, because I love being tall
I also hate shopping for jeans, opposite height problem though! I’m 6’2 and need 38″ leg jeans….impossible to find!!! Most tall sections in shops here (Ireland!) have only 34″ jeans… I can sometimes get 36″ in skinny styles so they come to my ankle and look kinda long enough! And they cost so much more than regular styles!
I hear ya sister!
I never used to wear jeans, but now I do. The only problem is that when jeans fit e in the legs, they are WAY too big around the waist. I now I cant wear a belt, but I have to do it up really tight or poke extra holes in the belt. It is so annoying and I hate wearing belts
I’m around average height at 5’4″, but my legs are shorter than they should be proportionally. I buy jeans that are labeled “short” and I STILL have to get my mom to hem them.
My problems come more into play when buying tops. My torso is proportionally too long so I have to look hard for shirts that cover my stomach.
I’m 5’2″, size short and petite pants are still too long, and I consider myself to be on the tall end of short! I wear a size 7, and have a tiny tiny waist and large hips, so I’m always having to wear a belt as well as having pants that are way too long. All have have to say is learn to sew! It’s the best thing I ever did. I’m going to have to deal with this problem my entire life, so I might as well learn how to fix it myself, right? You don’t even need a sewing machine! Give it a shot, you’d be surprised at how much money you save when you don’t have to worry about finding jeans that are the perfect length!
Me too!! In 5’0 too it hard to find a jean that fit how I want them. Especially for skinny jeans they are always ruffle to much on the ankles. But I find some that fit how I want they are just hard to find them. Oh yah then I always have to worry about my size cuz I’m a size 3 and then the stores only have bigger sizes sometimes.But I like being short guys think it funny they think it makes me cute to be short.
Phew! Finally someone who understands! Although I am not that short, or that tall, I have legs that are unproportional to my waist. If I buy jeans that fit my waist, they end on my knees, and if they fit my legs, then I can pull them off without undoing the button! On ALL, like I mean ALL on my jeans, I have to wear a shoelace around the belt loops, because the regular belts won’t suck up all the extra material!
I hate jean shopping too! I am REALLY short for my age (16 y/o and 4’9″) and I have big hips. My size is somewhere between a kids’ and a juniors’. It’s really hard for me to buy the right pair of jeans because whenever I try one on, they’re either too loose or too long. And I don’t have the money nor the time to hem them. It really sucks.
Phew I thought I was the only one with this problem! The only places I can buy jeans that fit me both length ways and at my hips are from the kids section in a few select shops. What annoys me the most is that the choice I have is SO limited! And often I feel embarrased when I hang out with my friends because I only have about 3 pairs of jeans that fit me properly and my friends just don’t understand why I don’t have more! Even when the label on jeans say that they are 28″ they are still too long on me. Most shops have sections for ‘fuller’ women so why can’t more shops have petite sections for people like me?!
The jeans I find are usually to big around the waist but they fit my legs in or the waist is just the right size but it’s like my legs are sticks when I walk. I don’t have much of an hourglass figure, I look more like a stick thing with little hips. Fortunatly, I have a cousin who has a similiar body shape so we can trade clothes. But finding a pair of jeans at the store is always a problem. If only they could make the right size jeans.
I’m 5’10 and a size 3. I have to pay so much for my jeans. It really sucks though because when my pants shrink up people look at me weird. I feel bad sometimes but i just see it as im different. I just deal with it though because thats all i can do. Once i order online and get a 37′ inch inseam i feel confident
I hate jean shopping because of that reason too but my mom then found an amazing seamstress who charges really well and does amazing! She does anything too! She does everything! She fixes my bra straps, swimsuits, makes some pants into scarfs and so much more! It really will help- it may cost a little and it doesn’t take that long! Some seamstresses will even come to your house! My mom has a saying “If you are going to be buying new clothes you have to know a great seamstress!” It’s so true!
Xoxo M
i have that problem too, i have to buy jeans in the kids section for them to fit lenght wise but then they are too tight, but if i buy them in the teen section they fit my hips but not lengthwise!
I hate Jean shopping because I have yet to find a pair of jeans that actually look good on me. I have a really full butt which is totally awesome, but fusing jeans that fit over that, don’t even touch my hips in the back. Plus legs are always too tight around my legs and calf because I have thicker legs than most girls. Bigger sizes just fall off so I’m stuck with 9′s